Up There and Other Strange Directions

by Donald A. Wollheim

Up There and Other Strange Directions is a collection of sixteen
stories by Donald A. Wollheim, the Guest of Honor at Nolacon II, the 46th World
Science Fiction Convention. They range from hard SF to eldritch horror; some
have never before been reprinted. They were mostly published in the early part
of the 1940s; although they reflect the culture of their times, they are also
chock full of forward-looking ideas. Wollheim was editing magazines then, so a
number of these stories appeared under the pseudonyms of Martin Pearson and
Millard Verne Gordon; one is a collaboration with Robert Lowndes and two with
Cyril M. Kornbluth. This collection contains what the author considers to be
some of his finest stories, including "The Planet Called Aquella." He has
written a brief introduction to each story as well as an overall introduction
to the book.

Up There and Other Strange Directions was published in a limited
edition of 1000, the first 250 of which were a numbered and slip-cased
specially bound edition.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Planet Called Aquella

The Mask of Demeter (with C. M. Kornbluth)

Blueprint

The Hidden Conflict

The World on the Edge of the Universe

The Hat

Castaway

The Outpost at Altark

Interplane Express (with C. M. Kornbluth)

Up There

The Colossus of Maia

Cosmophobia

Bones

The Man From the Future

The World in Balance

The Booklings

Donald A. Wollheim

Don Wollheim was born in New York City in 1914 and has been active in
Science Fiction for over fifty years as a fan, author, editor, and publisher.
He was one of the founders of SF conventions and it is fitting, although
belated, that he was honored at this one, Nolacon II. He published his first
story, "The Man from Ariel," in the January 1934 Wonder Stories and
wrote throughout the next thirty years. During that time he also edited a
number of magazines including Stirring Science Stories, Cosmic Stories, Avon
Fantasy Reader, Out of This World Adventures. He has the distinction
of editing the first paperback SF anthology, The Pocket Book of
Science Fiction, in 1943. He has continued as an anthologist throughout
his career. In 1952 Don became SF editor for Ace Books and built it into the
largest line in the field, reprinting many contemporary British works as well
as developing many of the major authors we enjoy today. In 1974 he left Ace and
founded DAW Books, the first entirely-SF paperback publisher; there have been
others following.

His influence over the past five decades has been enormous and
multiplicative—not only in his own works but in those of the authors whom he
discovered, encouraged, and developed.